Peter Constantin visits Fresno, California
April was a blessed month as our Haitian director, Peter Constantin, traveled to Fresno to meet with our Board of Directors and partner churches. This was a solid time of connecting with him and hearing his vision for the future of Christian Friendship Ministries in Haiti. We are grateful for some recent donations and new business partners in California who are interested in investing in the ministry. (More details on this coming soon.) Peter closed out his time in California joining us for a Haiti Prayer Night where 25-some friends came together to pray for our organization, future plans and the country of Haiti.
Gilmores ride/run in California Classic race this weekend
This weekend we participated in the California Classic in the Central Valley with our Remember Haiti Cycling & Running Teams. Ericlee rode a century (100 miles) on Saturday with a team of 12 others. Our friend, Dave Scalzo, headed up the efforts for a second year of raising funds and awareness about Haiti. Our organization had a table at the 2-day fitness Expo and we shared about CFM with 5,000 athletes. Today we ran the Half Marathon (13.1 miles) sporting our “Remember Haiti” shirts. Three other friends joined us on the Running team. This weekend was another example of how God is using our love for fitness as a platform to share about His work in Haiti.
Summer plans to travel shape up
Ericlee will depart May 29 with a Construction team of 5 to work on the Mission complex in Pignon. One of our board members and friends, Tanner Munro, is heading up this team, including Nathan Gleaves, Jason Martinez and David Howell. The men hope to work on many projects around the Mission complex, including some renovations in the kitchen, bathrooms and supply room. The goal is to make our 60-year-old farm house run more efficiently for visiting teams.
Our family will depart for a family reunion in Dallas on July 4 and then continue on to Haiti on July 7. This summer we plan to be in Haiti for 7 weeks. Our main purpose is to reconnect with Haitian leaders, work on training of the artisans in The Haitian Bead Project and to host the American teams.
We will host several teams:
-Orphanage Summer Camp Team (Debbi Ball, Beverly & Kelly Damm, Doug & Brenda Round & their 3 daughters)
-Vacation Bible School Team in St. Raphael (The Bridge Church led by Kim & Dave McCurry)
-Youth Conference & Men’s Conference (The Well Church led by Chris Schultz)
We still need to raise $4,000 for our family’s plane tickets, travel & living expenses. Please pray with us for God’s provision. If you feel led to give a one-time donation, please click here.
Building “margin” into our ministry life
On the family front, we have been learning about the importance of restorative rest. We have been reading a book called “Margin” by Richard Swenson. He writes, “Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.” This book has reminded us that in order to be healthy in our ministry, work and family life we must build in times of rest and rejuvenation.
This spring we took a weekend trip to San Francisco for our 10th Anniversary. We biked the Golden Gate Bridge, tried out some new restaurants and rested as a couple. Dorina was also able to take a weekend trip to Aptos/Santa Cruz with some girlfriends. This was a much-needed escape and concentrated time for prayer and reflection for how God is leading her this year. Ericlee has dedicated Thursdays to prayer and fasting for our ministry. He also carves out time each day for personal reading.
We are so grateful for each one of you. Your prayers, encouragement and financial support mean so much as we continue to work in Haiti and in the U.S.
Saying Yes to God,
Ericlee, Dorina, Meilani, Giada and Zayla
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